City of Heroes: Son of Liberty
by Hannibal4209
Summary: The tale of William Andross, a troubled young man who grows up into the superhero Flagwaver, but at the price of his very childhood. Set in the City of Heroes MMORPG by NCSoft.
1. The Zig

SON OF LIBERTY

A City of Heroes Story

by Shawn M. Franklin

CHAPTER ONE

_ "The Son of Liberty."_

The thoughts of William Andross swirled around in his head, like a swarm of angry bees. The buzzing was almost painful. The memories certainly were. _Or, _he thought, _that could be where that Hellion hit me with the crowbar._

This last week had been Hell. On Monday, a gang of Freakshow had almost beaten him to death in a backalley in Talos Island. On Wednesday, a 5th Column detachment nearly broke into the Infinity Corps database, and it took a hell of a fight to clear the fascists from their bunker in Steel Canyon.

But this was the worst.

William Andross, known to his Strike Force companions as Flagwaver, shifted uncomfortably on the small, hard shelf that passed for his bed. He was cold. Colder than he'd ever been. He lay on his back, and cast his gaze at another small metal shelf above him, where another inmate of the infamous Ziggursky Prison snored loudly. The smell of the 6x10 cell filled Flagwaver's nostrils. It was a stale smell. The smell of a bedridden invalid who couldn't control his functions anymore. The smell of death.

And death lurked everywhere inside the "Zig". Everywhere, the eyes of hundreds of incarcerated criminals had followed his every move. Waiting. Watching for a sign of weakness. Of fear. Anywhere he went, he heard them.

"You see that new guy?"

"Heard he's a mask."

"A fuggin' cape? In the Zig? What'd he do?"

Like wildfire, the word that a hero had been sentenced to the Zig spread to the ears of every criminal. Everyone heard. From the lowliest pursesnatcher, to the so-called archvillains locked up in the Zig's infamous Rogue's Gallery, had gotten wind of the arrival of Flagwaver, a member of the hated Infinity Corps. All of them had the same thought on thier small minds.

"Payback."

Twice, someone had tried to end his life. The first, had been his previous cellmate. He tried to choke Flagwaver to death in the night with his sheets, and earned a beating for his trouble. The second attempted to shiv him in the cafeteria. A broken arm for that one. He'd been in this pit for only two days, and already, the jackals were trying to take thier shot at every criminal in Paragon City's wet dream.

A powerless hero.

Flagwaver scratched at the heavy tritanium collar around his neck. The damned thing itched like mad, but that was the least of it. No. The worst of it, was the inconvienience of the collar's ability to strip him of his powers. The Zig was known as the world's foremost superpowered correctional facility for a reason. With this less than fashionable accessory around his neck, Flagwaver's ability to project raw concussive energy from his hands was absent. He felt naked. Alone.

The clothes left him with the same feeling. Drab, orange jumpsuit. Sandals. Flagwaver missed his costume, deeply. He turned over on his bed, and cast his gaze to the small picture taped to the far duracrete wall. A picture of his family met his gaze. Flagwaver himself looked back at William Andross. They seemed to be two separate men in this moment. The red, white and blue, star-spangled uniform seemed to belong to a total stranger. The eyes most certainly did. They were eyes of a hero on top of the world. Someone who was happy to risk his life in the defense of his home, Paragon City, and her citizens. Someone who was a hero to the eyes of many.

_ How could this have happened?_

Will turned his eyes from himself, and swept it to the others in the picture. There was The Suspicion, his arms folded across his chest, giving Will that trademark smirk of his behind a pair of black sunglasses. Flashfreeze stood next to him, the young hero in the icy blue costume who always called Flagwaver, "Sir", despite his repeated attempts to dissuade Flashfreeze from doing so. Behind him, with a soulful look, stood Crimson Diva. Will always wondered what could make a woman as beautfiul as she look so sad and tragic. He always meant to ask her. Now, as Diva looked back at Flagwaver from the duracrete wall, he felt he might not get the chance.

And then, there was his mentor, National Guard. The towering wall of red, white and blue stood mightily over the rest of the Infinity Corps Strike Force. Flagwaver held back a cry of shame. _How would you see your student now, I wonder? Locked up like some kind of pickpocket. You must be so ashamed._ The picture gave no answers, but National's hard gaze penetrated deep into Flag's mind. He couldn't stand his mentor's gaze any longer. He shifted uncomfortably once again.

Next to Flagwaver stood his reason for being in Infinity Corps in the first place. The hero known as Civil Liberty held a jovial smile on his face as he saluted the camera while resting an arm on Flag's shoulder. Will considered Civil his best friend. Whenever the chips were down, Civil was always there to keep him going. Flagwaver couldn't count the number of occurences that he and Civil had dispensed justice side by side, almost as brothers. It was Civil who invited Flagwaver to join the Infinity Corps to begin with. Since then, Infinity Corps had become his family, and Civil, closer than any brother.

A lump formed in Flag's throat as he gazed upon another in the picture. He squeezed his eyes shut, and formed the word aloud, but his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Hallimeda."

The radiant heroine stood in the foreground, with her brilliant smile stealing the spotlight. Garbed in the deepest blue outfit, her bright sea-green eyes seemed to drain away the palpable despair of the Zig. Flagwaver stared at her picture the longest. She had been there for him more times than he could count. She had lobbied for him to join her when Strike Force had been formed out of Infinity Corps' best and brightest, with her at the helm. It had been Hallimeda who always greeted him with her trademark, "Hallio!" She was a healer of incredible skill as well. She had brought him back from the brink of death many a time. To Flagwaver, she was...

Flagwaver sighed heavily. It didn't matter how he really felt about Halli now. He tried to tell her on multiple occasions, but the words never seemed to come. Here now, in the Zig, Flagwaver wished he could tell her everything. But he never could. Now, he might not get a chance. _Besides, I know she doesn't feel the same. How could she?_

_ I was just another soldier._

Flagwaver turned away from the picture, and buried his face in his pillow.

The villains of the Zig had gotten thier wish.

The fear of what tomorrow would bring ate a hole into his stomach. After it all; The bloodthirsty gangs, the undead monsters of the Vahzilok, and the terrifying psychotics of the Freakshow didn't frighten him.

But now, it was different. He had no power here. He had no friends. No mentors.

No Hallimedas.

Truly, the villains of Ziggursky Prison had they wanted.

William "Flagwaver" Andross...

...was afraid.


	2. The Great Men Before

CHAPTER 2

_"A true patriot..."_

The Senate hall began to fill with people. A sea of suits captured by close-circuit television beamed into the homes of every politically-minded American on that fateful night. October 10, 1994, would be a night that many would not soon forget. The media members were abuzz with rumour, some true, some wholly false. These journalists would not soon forget this night. Also abuzz were the Senators themselves. Some whispered the praises of tonight's keynote speaker. Others denounced the rumours brought forth by the hungry media. Still others shifted uncomfortably in thier seats out of barely suppressed fear. This would be a night these Senators would not soon forget.

Another who would not forget this night was the keynote speaker himself.

Away from the media circus unfolding in the Senate Hall, Senator James Andross paced the length of his small office tucked in the far back of the Democratic wing. Senator Andross' face bore the brow furrows and deep creases of a man who had spent the last week in deep thought and worry. And indeed he had. For after this night, there was no going back. No more compromises, no more double dealing. _It will be out for all to see. No more secrets, _he thought. The dark grey suit on his aged, yet still powerful frame felt tight and constrictive, like a straitjacket. And indeed, it had become a home for the insane, this "august Senate."

"No more secrets," he said aloud. He did this often when he had to make a critical decision. It needed to be spoken aloud, he believed, so it made sense when the sounds were formed in the air. But, nothing made much sense anymore. The America he knew was gone. Gone the way of the Roman Empire, shaking on a quaking foundation of petty greed and corruption. The audacity of his "fellow Senators" made him grotesquely ill. _Have they no shame? Have they forgotten what it means to be a leader in this country? How could all this have happened?_

But the reasons why were pointless. Purely human reasons, and they had chosen thier path. They had succumbed to the old adage. _Absolute power,_ he thought. _I'll show them absolute._

He paced to the small office door of the Wisconsin Democratic office, and cracked it open. Outside, just down the hall, his reason for doing this sat on the bench off to one side. The small, frail boy sat cross-legged on a wooden visitors bench, hunched over a small video game handheld. He wore an ashen grey suit, like Senator Andross, but whereas Senator Andross looked the role of a respected member of the highest lawmaking body in the United Sates, his son Billy looked pitiful, like a trussed up funerary corpse. Young Billy Andross had no remarkable physical traits, nothing obvious to set him apart from other children his age, that of fourteen, save his rather pinched and sickly look.

As Senator Andross gazed upon his only remaining family member, he heard the voices that had eaten away at his soul for the last week and a half.

"Think of your son, James. We wouldn't want anything to happen to him."

"Call this whole thing off. No harm, no foul."

"This is a mistake you're making. And I promise, you WILL live to regret it."

The last threat from his "fellow Senators" stuck in his mind. _They want to hurt my son, take away my reason for being. I can just walk away. I can quit now, send the media home, end this whole thing..._

_...while my country is carved up and fed to these animals on a silver platter._

Just then it had dawned on Senator James Andross. There would be no retreat now. No backpedaling. No escape. But first, something needed to be done.

"C'mon...unh...almost...nooo...aw, man!"

After losing his fifth life on the game he was, until now, deeply engrossed in, Billy Andross threw aside his GameMaxx with disgust. All the frustration that came along with being fourteen and on the losing end of life swelled in his small chest. He looked up at his the office door wherein his father worked. He always worked. Always busy.

That thought conjured up images of his mother. Mom. She was gone now. She couldn't take anymore. No more of Dad's rhetoric on "civil liberties" or "the forefathers' dream." She just left one day, leaving behind a note and a hot dinner for he and his father. Since that day five years ago, it had been only Billy and his famous father, the Senator.

_The hell are we doing here anyway? I could be over at Simon's right now, but nooooo...we're here. Again. What the hell is so damn_

"Will? Could you come here, please?" His father called him from down the hall. Billy looked up at his father, so imperious-looking in that crisp suit he always wore, and today had somehow suckered Billy into wearing. _And my name's Billy, dammit. Not Will._ He rose to his awkward feet, and began shuffling down the hall to his father's darkened office. His father pulled the door open for him, and then said a quick,"Stand up straight, young man. No need to shuffle around like I'm calling you to be executed."

"I may as well be. Death by boredom," Billy responded in that 'I'm-fourteen-and-I-know-everything' tone.

Senator Andross sighed heavily. As he shut the door, he turned to face his son, he looked deep into his son's eyes. It was then that Billy saw. His father was near tears.

"Dad? What's wrong?"

With a heavy voice, Senator Andross spoke, "Son. I'm about to do something that's very dangerous. Something that is about to change the whole way you and I live. It's not going to be a good change, but a very difficult one. Do you understand?"

Billy's heart raced. Here, in this moment, Billy's entire preconceptions of his "indestructible father" were being shattered. In this instant, Billy Andross saw his father; not as a Senator, a national hero, a respected politician...or even the man that drove Mom away. He only saw his father, on the verge of losing his practiced self-control. It was surreal. The man had always been impervious to emotion. Why now? _God, what's happened?_

James Andross took a heavy breath and began.

"The other Senators are crooks, son. But rather than robbing from one person, they're robbing from us all. They're looting our country blind, and for years, I did too...by being silent. But I can't watch what they're doing to America anymore. I can't be silent anymore, Will. Tonight, I'm going to present evidence to the newspeople outside that shows all sorts of criminal acts by my co-workers." At this, James handed his son a small manila envelope. "In there is everything I need to present my case. Audits, bank accounts, photographs...all of it."

Billy thumbed thru the evidence, and felt his heart race again. "What are you telling me, Dad?"

"They threatened me, Will. Threatened me, and...threatened you."

Billy's heart ceased to race. In fact, it seemed to have stopped working all together. The other Senators had threatened his life, his father went on to explain, as a strongarm tactic. A bargaining chip. Billy's life was worthless to them, just another asset to be exploited. Even more frightening, was that he knew them all as kindly old men who always treated him with kindness. And now, his life was forfiet. It was all a lie. Pretense to get his father to play along.

"This is the hardest part, Will. I won't let them scare me. And you can't let them scare you. Do you know why I'm going to go thru with this?"

Billy shook his head in shock...a reflex action at best.

"Remember all those stories I told you when you were little? The stories about the great men that came before us? Washington, Jefferson, Franklin...all of them? The reason I do this is because I remember what they stood for. They stood for standing up against this kind of misuse of power. They believed in the ideal that they were free to think as they wished, and many lives were lost for that very idea against a gonvernmental body just as corrupt and decadent as the one I'm about to bring down. I'm doing this all, because I love my country, son. Do you love America and the freedom she gives you?"

Billy nodded, slightly at first, and then it struck him. His father was going to risk everything in his life to bring down the bad guys. His father was going to battle the forces of evil. His father was about to become a hero in the name of America. Billy looked up into his father's eyes, and gave him the only answer he could.

"I love you, Dad, and I love America too. Do what needs to be done."

For the first time in a week and a half, James Andross felt pride at what he must do. He smiled, and hugged his son tight. They held for a long time, and when they broke, both father and son felt pride in the other. Then, Senator James Andross released his son, and together they walked to the door. Before opening it, James squeezed his son's shoulder tight, and said,

"For America, son."

The boy, who would not _ever _forget this night, looked back at his father, beamed with pride, and replied,

"For America, Dad."


	3. Self Evidence

CHAPTER 3

_"An American Icon..."_

Senator Andross pulled the door all the way open. Billy stepped out, and suddenly was snatched into the air. Senator Andross quickly took notice of the muscle-bound man in the pinstripe suit and the dark glasses that now held a pistol to his son's temple. Just as quickly, more thugs surrounded the Andross family, and closed in tight. Senator Andross raised his fists, prepard to fight these goons off, adn quickly landed a punch across the jaw of one of the men in black. He fell to the floor, and Senator Andross turned to face his next assailant...

...then the pistol came crashing down across his neck.

Senator Andross crumpled to the floor, a large lump forming on the back of his head. The goons pressed the attack, kicking and pounding the fallen senator. Billy screamed, "Dad! Leave him alone!" to no avail. These men would only be stopped by one voice.

"That's enough. Let him up."

The goons hauled the battered Senator to his feet, and turned to face his bloodied face to meet a shorter man in a brown tweed jacket and slacks. The perfectly groomed moustache on his face twitched slightly as the corners of his mouth slid upward to form a greusome smile.

Senator Andross looked deep into the eyes of his captor.

"Davis. You son of a bitch!", Andross spat.

Senator Davis laughed aloud, but there was no mirth behind his laugh. This was the laugh of a monster. A killer stalking his next victim. But this killer didn't kill for pleasure, but for money. And a great deal of money had come his way for his "side business" as it were. Andross knew what he was up to. Davis ran a professional killer clearinghouse. From his lucrative defense contracts, and military sway, Davis could have anyone, anywhere killed for the right price.

And business was booming.

Davis spoke in a rich baritone voice, but it was devoid of any soul. "James. I begged you. I begged you, for the sake of your son..." Davis ran a casual hand thru the hair of Billy, who continued to struggle in the arms of the jackbooted thug who grasped him close. Davis stopped petting the boy, and looked deep into the eyes of James Andross. "But, you didn't listen!" He finished, and he jerked sharply on Billy's hair, pulling his head back hard. Billy cried out in pain and fear.

"LEAVE MY BOY ALONE!" Andross bellowed. "He's not part of this!"

Davis laughed and released Billy from his grip. Billy moaned in pain as his neck went slack. He stared with tear-filled eyes at the back of Davis' head. He wanted to hurt him, but he was helpless to do anything...except watch.

Davis casually strutted over to Senator Andross and lifted his blood-flecked jaw to meet his own face. "He should feel very lucky, James!" he laughed, "Your boy's about to be eduacted in the ways of American politics." Davis turned back to Billy, and finished, "You're going to get to see what happens when on of our 'own', turns his back on us. This will be lesson in loyalty."

Davis then stuck his face close to Andross'. Close enough to feel the man's breath on his face. Davis smelled of the dozens of people he'd killed, or had killed. It was a charnel scent. One befitting a dealer of death.

His voice came like a judge's death sentence, "You should have let it go, James. I'm sorry." Then, he backed away, and addressed his guards, "Bring them."

The guards, led by Davis and carrying a struggling James and Billy, approached a black limousine parked outside of the Senate building. Inside, the reporters, citizenry, and Senators in attendance had no idea that thier keynote speaker and his son had just been kidnapped by the very reason for thier being there, Senator Henry Davis. As the beefy guards shoved James and Billy into the limo, Billy's mind raced again. _Oh God, what's gonna happen to us? Is this what Dad was talking about? What's going on?_

Billy then knew that this was no time to be scared. He tried to push the fear out of his mind, but he knew that it couldn't be done alone. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Billy knew, there was a source of comfort. Old written words that were as clear as fresh ink in the back of his memories, and it was to this he clung to, to push the fear of death out of his mind. In his head, he heard his father speak to him, from some darkened corner of his mind, the first thing he'd ever memorized:

_"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."_

Over and over, he repeated these words. To the man who originally read these words, the King of Britain, they were statements of open rebellion. To the men who set them on faded parchment, the Congress of Virginia, they were not polite suggestions, but a system that should, and must be upheld at all costs. To Billy Andross, they were the words that kept him brave.

At the forefront of Billy's perception, his father and the man who would use these words to further his own greed, one Henry Davis, stared daggers into one another.

Davis spoke again, "Don't look at me like that, James. I did warn you. We could have made a hell of a lot of money, you and I. Put your son thru college"

James fired back, "You don't talk about my son, you bastard! You are the epitome of everything I've taught him to despise! You think this country, her freedoms, her people...are just playthings! Puppets! You sicken me, Davis. All you care about is money, and you don't care who you use up to make another blood-soaked dime, do you? You can do what you want to me, but you let my boy go and prove to me that you're not a total scumbag!" James Andross bored a hole thru Davis' face with his eyes. James loathed him with a passion not felt since The Nemesis and Statesman. Davis' practiced grin faded, and was replaced by a look of utter distaste, as if Andross were a bug on his shoe.

"Okay, asshole. You want to play hardball with me? That's fine. I've killed a lot of people, Andross. What's two more?" Davis sat back and lit a cigar. As he took a drag off his expensive smoke, he closed his eyes to savor the flavor...

...when suddenly, his face was splattered with spit.

Davis opened his eyes, expecting to see James snarling face, but instead, James was staring determinedly at his son. Davis' expression turned to one of shock as he saw who had spit on him. As the spit rolled down his face, Davis stared into the eyes of the slow-breathing boy who had moments before been a quivering mass of cowardice. The boy stared back into Davis' eyes. The look he gave Davis unsettled the corrupt senator. That, in and of istelf, was an amazing accomplishment, but still..._those eyes, _he thought, _those eyes..._

William Andross stared deep into the eyes of Davis, a mask of grim determination on his face. He wasn't afraid of Davis, and with a slow, deliberate tone, he informed Davis, "You don't scare me. You're going to regret this...all of you. I'll make you all pay."

Davis replied, this time with a hint of fear behind his voice, "We'll just see about that, boy."

The limosuine pulled down a forgotten stretch of highway, past the porno shops and crackhouses that littered the streets of Washington DC's "less fortunate" areas. As Billy stared out the window, surrounded by his captors, his spirits began to sink again. He saw how the homeless huddled together in alleyways for warmth, and how the pimps sold flesh like cheap cars. Billy wondered what brought them down this way. _No one will notice our murders here. Dad and I are gonna die here..."We hold these truths..."_

Again, the famous line from the Declaration of Independence crept into his mind. It pushed away the shadows of his vision, that line. He looked out on the streets again, and saw what could be. Parks, libraries, children playing. All the crime could be gone if someone would step up...and none of this would be happening.

But no one would. He was alone.

_"We hold these truths to be self-evident"...God please get me thru this. Let me and Dad live. And I swear, I'll do what I can to help everyone in this country live free. Please God...please._

As Billy's mind swam with this vow to God, he felt his father's arm around him. He looked back at his dad, and he remembered that he was not alone in this. He wasn't alone at all.


	4. Call of Cthulu

CHAPTER 4

_"The epitome of Freedom."_

The limo came to a slow stop in front of a particularly dilapidated warehouse in the ghetto district of Washington DC. Billy had no time to assess his urroundings as he was forcefully oulled from the limo by his captors. Following close behind, more thugs shoved his father towards the forgotten husk of a building. The warehouse itself looked as foreboding as any villainous lair should. The broken windows leered down at Billy and his father like the eyes of a hungry monster, patiently awaiting its next meal. Around, the walking wounded and living dead of Washington DC's homeless population shuffled around the scene of obvious crime. They averted thier eyes and quickened thier pace. Billy thought to call out to one for help, but thier eyes revealed thier intentions to only watch, and not interfere.

Davis had chosen this place a long time ago. Here, his crimes went unnoticed by all. This forgotten stretch of road in the nation's capital had once been a center of industry and commerce. Hard times had not been kind to it however, and when the industry forsook the town and it's inhabitants, Davis was quick to swoop in and purchase many of the businesses for a song. The many sex shops and liquor stores provided not only cover fronts for his more depraved business practices, but also with a steady stream of hollow vessels that were once people. They were more than happy to piss away any meager wealth they had, and any semblance of pride, to deaden the pain that is life in the street. A few moment's peace, Billy Andross would have welcomed.

But there would be none, as the jackbooted goons of Senator Henry Davis shoved father and son into the corpse of the once profitable DC Millworks. Once, this was the largest maker of doors and windows in the District of Columbia. The company employed hundreds, but now many of these former employees had just turned thier backs on a helpless child and his beaten father.

Senator James Andross struggled with his captors, to no avail, as the black-suited men forced him into a nearby chair. The chair was not the only furniture in the building. The chair sat directly across from a table. But this was no ordinary table. The table could more accurately be called a torture device. A cold slab of steel, adorned with restraints made of tough leather distinguished this gruesome device. Right angles, sharpened corners, they only added to the table's effectiveness for causing fear, thru sheer uncaring, unfeeling symmetry. The table's most distinguishing feature, was the dried, browinish stains across its surface. Human blood, aged and unclean, revealed this table's intentions and purpose.

Davis bent low in front of Senator Andross, and pulled from his pocket a small syringe. The syringe glowed with a purplish-green light. Davis held it close, and though the syringe seemed to be radiating heat, no warmth could be felt. James became aware of it's presence, and looking close, he could almost see the liquid within swirling of its own volition

Davis, whispering low, revealed its contents. "The people at Crey Industries call it 'Formula 9-GX.' Not a very appealing name is it?" Davis stood, and paced the room, continuing his discussion of the horrifying syringe as if addressing the Senate floor. He spoke with a quiet reverence for the drug. "I think after its initial trial run with ape subjects, the scientists who developed it began referring to it as "The Cthulu Serum". Do you know Lovecraft, James? He's a wonderful writer, a pity you will not get to read anything after tonight."

James, sensing an opportunity, began to move toward Davis. The goons were faster, however, and with a quick jab to the solar plexus, James was forced back into the chair. Gasping for breath, he spat thru bloody lips, "Killing me isn't going to help you, Davis! The evidence will be found, and you'll all be brought up for treason!"

Davis smiled and gazed upon the syringe. With a harsh laugh, he replied, "Now, James. Who said this syringe was for you?"

James' eyes widened in panic at the implication of those words, and almost in answer, the goons moved Billy towards the table. James began to fight at the chair, and was surprised to see that he had been bound to the seat with thick leather bands while his attention was on Davis. James gritted his teeth, and forced his body to fight the restraints. His son, meanwhile, struggled with the men who held him hostage. Billy, kicking and screaming, fought with all the strength in his small frame. The goons found themselves surprised by Billy's sudden assault, and two more men were needed to force him down onto the table. Even as the straps were lashed down on Billy's wrists and ankles, he continued to struggle, as did James Andross. Both fought to save the other. Both fought to see the other live.

Davis, standing before his prey, finished his lecture. "This drug was developed for a defense contract for a black-book operation known as the Enkidu Directive. It's a super soldier serum, James! Just like in the comics! But alas, it was named te Cthulu Serum for one very good reason. You see, in Lovecraftian fiction, the Elder God Cthulu was a demon of the sea. He took a horrendous cross of winged gargolye and octopus as his form, and all who gazed upon him were driven mad. Utterly and undeniably insane. The Enkidu Directive succeded in driving its recipients mad, with a ninety-seven percent casualty rate! The project was scrapped, but not before I obtained this small sample. And most amazingly, the soldiers in the program were all healthy young men, in the prime of thier lives!"

Leaning into James' struggling face, Davis added with a sinister, mocking tone, "I shudder to think what it will do to a pitiful weakling like your boy."

James looked around his enemy's shoulder to see his son strapped to the table, eyes brimming with tears of fear and anger. James' eyes narrowed to thrust daggers into the face of Henry Davis, and Davis' eyes reflected the twisted soul within.

"Where is the evidence, James? Tell me, and your boy is spared the wonders of a 10x10 padded cell in Arkady Asylum."

James vision shifted quickly from his son's captured form to the hatred he felt for Henry Davis. This man was going to win. James felt his blood boiling in his body when he reflected on this fact. Davis was going to win. It was a no-win situation. Either Davis would continue to exploit the country he had fought so hard to lead, or his only child would be turned into a psychology book footnote. James felt his tears rise to the surface, his breaths came in short panicked gasps, and he was about to utter words of defeat, when Billy himself spoke up.

"Dad...For America." Billy's eyes showed the age of a veteran of a thousand wars. His resolve was evident, and he was willing to die for this cause.

But cruel Davis had heard enough. "You know, child," he said to Billy, turning to face him with syringe in his grip, "You have threatened me, and your father has threatened me. I think, a demonstration is in order. Today's Lesson: Who Not To FUCK WITH!" James' scream was lost in his throat as Davis jabbed the needle into Billy's arm, and before Billy could think about the pain, his whole definitition of "pain" was redefined.

All was melting away from Billy's sight, as the Cthulu Serum attacked his bloodstream like horde of barbarians. His every thought. Every Feeling. Every memory.

Pain.

His whole body felt afire, his blood scorched his veins from within as the concoction did its grisly work. His muscles began to contort, and twist in painful new combinations. His eyes saw nothing but the bright flashes that the Cthulu Serum wrought as his very DNA was being rewritten. The searing fire of a million white-hot sewing needles jabbed at every nerve in his body, criscrossing his thoughts as if his body sweated battery acid. His body could not stand the change. His skeletal structure fractured time and again, only to reforge itself in new ways unthinkable by the concept of medical science.

His body did not suffer alone. His mind, grasped to make sense of it all. Over and over, like a mobius strip in his mind, the thoughts and speech of numerous people flooded his conciousness, if being torn apart from within could be called "conciousness". _Cthulu Serum...EnKIdu DirECTIVE!...WHY GOD WHY! Mom? Please, No, Mom...NOT TO FUCK WITH!...Help Me God, Help me God, MAKE IT STOP! OH GOD, I CAN SEE IT! DAD...Fuck you, my name is BILLY!...AleSSonMUstBBEEEEETaught...WeHoLDThese Truths...to be self-evident..._

The pain began to subside, and as if awakening from a long nightmare, Billy's vision cleared..._That all men..._The warehouse began to take shape, as did the changes in Billy's anatomy configured themselves into a pattern far more powerful than its previous design_...Are created equal..._Billy looked down at his hands, and they now glowed with a bluish energy. Billy felt the power his body now contained, and it needed to be released. When his thoughts finally cleared, the first thing that Billy saw was the previously gloating, and now surprised face of one Henry Davis.


End file.
